Situational Leadership® Model

Jessica FieldsMBA 634: Quality Management – Winter 2007

Dr. Tom FosterBrigham Young University

Agenda – Topics Covered• Situational Leadership Model defined• Brainstorming Exercise• Explanation of Model (Nuts & Bolts)• How Situation Leadership Model Works• Real World Example• Situational Leadership Exercise• Summary• Readings List

Situational Leadership® Model (SLM)

• Developed by Hersey and Blanchard• A model, not a theory• Different situations and followers require

different leadership styles• No one leadership style is appropriate for all

situations and effective leaders adjust their style to match the situation

• Use the model to determine the situation and then choose the corresponding leadership style

Brainstorming Exercise• Could this tool be used in your firm?• Think of the many different situations there are

in your job and at your firm.• List the different classifications of employees.

What different types of management or leadership do they require?

• When have you notice managers applying different managerial styles?

SLM - Nuts & Bolts• SLM focuses on the relationship between

leaders and followers, as well as potential leaders and potential followers

• Maturity = the ability and willingness of people to take responsibility for directing their own behavior, in relation to the tasks performed

• No perfect leadership style for all situations; style must be adjusted to meet the development level of followers

SLM – Nuts & Bolts cont. 4 Leadership styles

– S1: Telling– S2: Selling– S3: Participating– S4: Delegating

4 Levels of Maturity– M1: Low, Immature– M2: Low to Moderate– M3: Moderate to High– M4: High, Mature

4 Levels of Maturity of Followers

HighLow Moderate

M1 M2 M3 M4Telling Selling Participating Delegating

SLM – Nuts & Bolts cont.4 Development Levels– D1: Low competence, High commitment– D2: Some competence, Low commitment– D3: High competence, Variable commitment– D4: High competence, High commitment

Development Levels of Followers

HighLow Moderate

D1 D2 D3 D4S1: Tell S2:Sell S3: Participate S4: Delegate

Participating Q3S3: High Relationship

Low Task

D3: Able but unwilling

or insecure

Selling Q2S2: High Relationship

High Task

D2: Unable but willing

or confident

Delegating Q4S4: Low Relationship

Low Task

D4: Able/competent &

willing/confident

Telling Q1S1: Low Relationship

High Task

D1: Unable & unwilling

or insecure

Directive Behavior

Su

pp

ort

ive

Be

hav

ior

Mature Immature

SLM – Nuts & Bolts cont.

How SLM Works• Steps in SLM Process

– Overview of employee’s tasks– Assess employee on each task– Decided on style for each task– Discuss with employee– Make a joint plan– Follow-up, check and adjust

How SLM Works• Determine Your Leadership Style

– LASI = Leadership Adaptability and Style Inventory

– Look at 12 situations and identify responses– Calculate score and apply to quadrant matrix– Dominant leadership style– Supportive leadership style

SLM in the Real World• Tool to train managers and leaders

• Has applications in business as well as in – Education– Nursing– Parenting– Military– Martial Arts Instruction

SLM in the Real World - Military

• All branches use SLM as basis for leadership– Army: used for training staff officers– Air Force: uses for training officers and

noncommissioned officers

• Military has clear distinctions between superiors and subordinates

• Followers will become leaders

SLM in the Real World - Military• Transactional Leadership

– Long-term leadership style in Army units– S4-D4 match

• Directive or Delegation Leadership

• Crisis Leadership

• Empowerment of subordinates

• Developing subordinates

Exercise: Style Self-Assessment• Write down your leadership style• As a large group or class, make a list of situations• Make a list of responses for each situation, making sure

to assign one response for each leadership style• Individually, determine responses for each person in

each situation• As a group, decide if you agree with each individual’s

self-assessment• Compare original self-assessment with results of

exercise– Are there differences?– Were you surprised by the results?

Summary• Effective leaders are flexible and adjust their

style to meet situations and followers’ needs

• Responding to follower’s needs is the surest way to achieve effectiveness and success

• SLM applies not only to business situations but also to all interpersonal relationships

• As followers become more self-reliant and competent, leaders become more hands-off and delegate more decision-making responsibility

Summary• Remember that leadership style is defined by the

perceptions of others• Leaders can perform self-assessments for determine

not only the needs of their followers but also to determine their dominate leadership styles

• Base assessment of ability upon proven performance results; not on what think followers know or should know

• Inflexible leaders only use one leadership style and are ineffective in situations that require using any of the other three styles

• SLM has applications beyond managerial leadership training

Readings List• Hersey, Paul and Blanchard, Kenneth. Management of Organizational Behavior:

Utilizing Human Resources (Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1982).

• www.12manage.com/methods_blanchard_situational_leadership.html

• Blanchard, Kenneth. “Recognition and Situational Leadership II” Emergency Librarian. March/April 1997, Vol. 24 Issue 4, p.38.

• Situational Leadership®: Conversations with Paul Hersey. Schermerhorn, John R Jr. © 2001 Center for Leadership Studies, Inc

• Center for Leadership Studies: www.situational.com

• Ken Blanchard Companies: www.kenblanchard.com

• Situational Leadership. Yeakey, George W.. Military Review, Jan/Feb2002, Vol. 82 Issue 1, p72

• Great Ideas Revisited. Blanchard, Kenneth H.; Hersey, Paul. Training & Development, Jan96, Vol. 50 Issue 1, p42

• So You Want to Know Your Leadership Style? Henry, Paul; Blanchard, Kenneth H.. Training & Development Journal, Feb74, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p22